Feasibility of a trapped atom interferometer with accelerating optical traps

To increase the measured phase of an atom interferometer and improve its sensitivity, researchers attempt to increase the enclosed space-time area using two methods: creating larger separations between the interferometer arms and having longer evolution times. However, increasing the evolution time reduces the bandwidth that can be sampled, whereas decreasing the evolution time worsens the sensitivity. In this paper, we attempt to address this by proposing a setup for high-bandwidth applications, with improved overall sensitivity. This is realized by accelerating and holding the atoms using optical dipole traps. We find that accelerations of up to 103–105 m/s2 can be achieved using acousto-optic deflectors to move the traps. By comparing the sensitivity of our approach to acceleration as a baseline to traditional atom interferometry, we find a substantial improvement to the state of the art. In the limit of appropriate beam and optics stabilization, sensitivities approaching 10−14 (m/s2)/√Hz may be achievable at 1 Hz, while detection at 1 kHz with a sensitivity an order of magnitude better than traditional free-fall atom interferometers is possible with today's systems.